Device for automatically stopping railroad-trains.



No. 779,324. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. L. SLINGLAND.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY STOPPING RAILROAD TRAINS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1,1904.

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lylandzzmwm/ j No. 779,324. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

L. SLINGLAND. v DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY STOPPING RAILROAD TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1,1904. I

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Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT, OFFICE."

LEONARD SLINGLAND, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY STOPPING RAILROAD-TRAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,324, dated January 3, 1905.

Application filed. July 1, 1904:. Serial No. 214,972.

To all whom, it flea/y concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD SLINGLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Automatically Stopping Railroad-Trains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for automatically stopping railroad-trains.

The object 9f the invention is to prevent accidents which frequently occur through the neglect'of railroad-engineers in failing to notice a danger-signal or through the neglect of railroad-switchmen in failing to close or open a switch at the proper time.

With the above and other minor objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed as a practical embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end view of a locomotive with the improvements of this invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the hand-lever designed for the use of the fireman in stopping trains. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a switch, showing the mechanism combined therewith for stopping a train. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a contacting shoe shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view at right angles to Fig. 3, showing the blocksignal.

Like reference-numeralsindicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Referring to Fig. 1, the reference-numeral 1 indicates a transversely extending shaft which is provided with crank-terminals 2 2 and intermediate crank portions 3 4. Each of the crank-terminals 2 of the shaft 1 is provided with a shoe 5. The shaft 1 is rotatable in hangers or brackets 6, attached to the 10- comotive-cab 7. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the crank-terminals 2 of the shaft 1 and the crank portion 3 thereof are disposed at an angle to each other, forming, in effect, a

bell-crank lever. Connected with the crank portion 3 of the shaft 1 is a link-rod 8, the upper end of which is connected with the lower arm 9 of a bell-crank lever 10. The lever 10 is provided with alocking device 11, which cooperates with a toothed segment 12-. Connected with the crank portion 1 of the shaft 1 is a link 13, which at its opposite end is connected with the crank portion 14 of a shaft 15, mounted in hangers 16. The shaft 15 extends through a steam-valve (shown conventionally by 17) and an air-brake valve, (shown conventionally by 18.) The valves 17 and 18 may be of any old and well-known construction, and as they form no part of the present invention it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate them in detail. Sufiice it to say that the arrangement of the valves 17 and 18 is such that a rotary movement of the shaft 15 in one direction serves simultaneously to cut off the steam and to apply the air-brakes and that a movement in the opposite direction reverses the operation.

In order to operate the mechanism just described, the railroad-track 19 (shown in Figs. 3, 1, and 5) is provided adjacent to the switch 20 thereof with a signal-lever, such as 21, Fig. 5. The lower bent end 22 of the signallever 21 is pivotally connected with a link 23, which in turn is pivotally connected with a similar link 24. The link 24: is connected with the crank portion 25 of a rod 26, extending parallel with the tracks 19 and provided at one portion of its length with a plate 27, having on one edge a wedge-shaped flange or contact-shoe 28. Also connected with the crank portion 25 of the rod 26 is a link 29, which in turn is connected-with a rod 30, attached to the switch 20.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that by moving the signal-lever 21 into upright position the switch will be opened and the signal-plate 31 of the lever will serve to indicate to the engineer of an approaching train that the switch is open and that consequently his train should be stopped to avoid danger. The movement of the signal-lever 21 to open the switch causes the rod 26 to rotate, thus moving the wedge-shaped flange or contacting shoe 28 from a horizontal inoperative position to a horizontal operative position, as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore in the event that the engineer of the approaching train should have neglected to notice the raised signal-lever, indicating that the switch is open and that his train should be stopped, the shoe 5 on each crank-terminal of the shaft 1 will be struck by the wedge-shaped flange or contacting shoe 28, disposed alongside the railroad-track, and the shaft 1 will be caused partially to rotate. The partial rotation of the shaft 1 will actuate the link 13, and consequently the shaft 15, which will cause the steam to be cut off and the air-brakes to be applied, whereby the train will be stopped before it has time to enter the open switch.

It will be understood that the rod 26, which operates the contacting shoe 28, is extended along the track for a suflicient distance to permit the train to stop before it shall reach the open switch. Furthermore, it will be understood that a rod, such as 26, with its connected contacting shoe, may be disposed on each side of the railroad-track, so as to cooperate with the two contacting shoes 5 upon opposite sides of the locomotive. It will be understood also that the rod 26 may be operated either from the block-signal tower on a railroad or by means of the signal-lever 21, as preferred.

In the event that the engineer of the locomotive should be doing something which would cause him to neglect to notice a danger-signal aheadsuch, for instance, as the flag or light which is carried back along a railroad-track by a brakeman to notify an approaching train that the track is obstructed ahead-and in the event that the fireman should notice the signal and desire immediately to stop the train he may by actuating the lever 10 cause the shaft 1 to be rotated, and thus through its connected mechanism cut off the steam and simultaneously apply the air-brakes.

The toothed segment 12, which cooperates with the firemans hand-lever 10, permits the shaft 1 to be rotated in such manner that the shoes 5 may be raised a suflicient distance above the track to be out of operative position. It will be understood that when the shoes are raised out of operative position the valves 17 and 18 will also be thrown out of operation.

In its novel combination and arrangement of parts and in its details of construction the device of thls invention presents an improvement over prior devices of a similar character.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The combination with a locomotive and a trackway, of a transversely-extending shaft on the locomotive having crank-terminals and intermediate crank portions, means operated by one of the intermediate crank portions for shutting ofi the steam and simultaneously applying the brakes, ahand-lever connected with the other intermediate crank portion of the shaft, and means combined with the trackway for operating the crank-terminals of the shaft.

2. The combination with a locomotive and a trackway, of a transversely-extending shaft having crank terminals and intermediate crank portions, ashoe on each of the crank-terminals, means operated by one of the intermediate crank portions for shutting off the steam and simultaneously applying the brakes, a link connected with the other intermediate crank portion of the shaft, a hand-lever operating the link, a toothed segment cooperating with the hand-lever, and means combined with the trackway for contacting with the shoes on the crank-terminals of the shaft.

3. The combination with a locomotive and a trackway, of a transversely-extending shaft having crank terminals and intermediate crank portions,a shoe on each of the crank-terminals, a second shaft having a crank portion and having means for simultaneously operating a steam-valve and a brake-valve,a link connecting the second shaft with one of the intermediate crank portions of the first shaft, a link connected with the other crank portion of the first shaft, a hand-lever for operating the lastmentioned link, and a toothed segment cooperating with the hand-lever.

1. The combination with a locomotive and a trackway, contacting shoes carried by the locomotive and means operated by the contact ing shoes for simultaneously cutting Off the. steam and applying the air-brakes, of manually-operated means for simultaneously cutting 0d the steam, applying the air-brakes and elevating the contacting shoes, a signal-lever, a rod extending parallel with the trackway, a contacting shoe carried by the rod, a crank portion on the rod connected with the signallever, and a switch on the trackway connected with said crank portion.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEONARD SLIN GLAND.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM DE YOUNG, LOUIS VAN WYOK. 

